Horse-collar



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MCK. THORNTON, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

HORSE-COLLAR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,806, dated June 21, 1853.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCK. THORNTON, of Bloomsburg, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Horse-Collars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a View in perspective of my improved horse collar. F ig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the' connecting bow spring together with the trace tugs, detached.

In the construction of the ordinary horse collar, much difficulty is experienced, labor consumed and expense incurred in the formation of the stuffed rib which projects around the inner margin of the side or shoulder pads and between which and the pads the hames usually lie. This stuffed rib is accompanied with many disadvantages; its rounded shape does not form a shield to prevent rain and dust from beating in between the collar and the horses neck, while it readily admits the harness straps, all of which tend to gall the neck of the horse,-

which the hard and unpliant rib itself is also very apt to do.

To dispense with this objectionable feature of the common collar and form an inexpensive, elastic, protecting, and easy fitting collar, is the object of my invention.

The collar represented yin the drawing consists of pads (a) stiffened at the sides and united at the lower end by a spring plate (b), and connected by a tie strap (c) at the top. The front or facing leather of the pads (a) is cut and bent, so that, after being stitched to the back leather, it forms, along or down the inner edge of either pad, a flap or rim (el) which fits close to the horses neck to exclude dust or rain. Swivel tugs (e), for fastening the traces to, are riveted on or otherwise secured to that part of each end of the bow spring (b) on which the side pads (a) are secured.

This bow spring (b), by its elasticity, allows the collar to be opened sufficiently wide to slip it over the neck of the horse and allows the pads to set themselves nearer together or farther apart to fit horses necks of dierent sizes and shapes. This bow spring should be made of well tempered steel, flat, broad and thin in the arch (l) and thicker and narrower at the ends (2, 2) this gives it the requisite elasticity without allowing the pads to twist and bend out of shape. The tie strap (c), which should be connected to the pads at each end by a buckle, is drawn no tighter than is necessary to keep the pads (a) in their proper places and bring the front edges of the rims in contact with the animals neck. The formation of the pad flaps or rims from the mere extension of the face leather of the pads, gives them the necessary flexibility with sufficient strength to form a protection to the horses neck, and involves no more cost than the value of the leather out of which they are formed, while the said flaps, apart from their utility, give a neat finish to a collar and when cut into graceful shapes form a .tasteful decoration.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by* Letters Patent, is-

l. A horse collar formed with pad-flaps (d) by the extension of the face leather of the pads as described.

2. I also claim the manner of stiffening and uniting the pads by means of a metallic bow, the ends of which are rigid to stiifen the Shoulder pads and support the tugs, while its arch is flat, thin and flexible in one direction to allow the pads to change their relative distance' apart, and comparatively rigid in the other direction to prevent the pads from turning with respect to a plane parallel to the front of the collar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WM. MCK. THORNTON.

IVitnesses:

S. W. Woon. P. H. WATSON. 

